David Smith nears $250K raised for HD 28 bid

Winter Springs Republican David Smith added another $15,845 to his campaign account during the first half of September, bringing his overall fundraising to $248,000.

Smith is up against Casselberry Democrat Lee Mangold in the race to replace term-limited Republican Rep. Jason Brodeur in the Seminole County state House seat.

Among the 33 checks Smith cashed between Sept. 1 and Sept. 14 were a dozen checks for the maximum campaign donation of $1,000, including contributions from several entities tied to the House of Mouse. Showing up alongside a handful of political committees and a check from lobbyist Ron Book were contributions from Disney Photo Imaging, Magical Cruise Company and the Magic Kingdom.

Spending measured in at about $9,400, with a $2,700 payment to McShane LLC for advertising topping the ledger. Another $2,000 was spent on video production with the remainder heading to several individuals for contract labor.

Smith’s overall total includes $85,000 in candidate loans. He finished the reporting period with $135,700 at the ready.

Mangold’s new report showed about $3,250 raised, with all but a handful of his rake coming in from individual donors. Other entities on his donor roll included the Seminole County Democratic Executive Committee and Booth’s Cobblestones. He also received $991 worth of “in-kind” support from New York-based political committee The People PAC for video production work.

The report brings him up to $40,358 in total fundraising, including $10,000 in candidate loans. He finished the reporting period with $18,560 on hand.

Smith and Mangold were the only two candidates who qualified to succeed term-limited Brodeur in HD 28, which covers part of northeastern Seminole County including Sanford, Winter Springs, Casselberry and Oviedo. They will go head-to-head in the Nov. 6 general election.

HD 28 has a GOP lean.

According to the most recent bookclosing report from the Florida Division of Elections, Republican voters make up nearly 40 percent of the electorate compared to a 33 percent share for Democrats, and Brodeur has not faced a Democratic opponent on Election Day in his three re-election campaigns since the seat was redrawn in 2012.

The seat is not out of reach for Democrats, however, especially if the so-called “blue wave” hits Florida. It only voted plus-4for Donald Trump two years ago.

About The Author

Drew Wilson covers legislative campaigns and fundraising for SaintPetersBlog and FloridaPolitics.com. While at the University of Florida, Wilson was an editor at The Independent Florida Alligator and after graduation, he moved to Los Angeles to cover business deals for The Hollywood Reporter. Before joining Extensive Enterprises, Wilson covered the state economy and Legislature for LobbyTools.